Urination on the couch

[Vassia]

Hi guys!
My chin which has been adopted a month or so, although he has a specific urination spot where I have put a toilet tray, the past few days he is peeing also on the couch. He is still using the tray so it does not seem as a change of spot generally. Why is he doing that; Is it territorial thing. Because he is about 4-5 months old.

 

[Amethyst]

I would just not allow him on the couch, or at the very least put something down so it's easy to clean up like a blanket or something. Is his cage easily accessible for him to get to go back in to pee? Or do you take the pee pan out for him during playtime so it's near by? It could simply be he has to pee and the pan is too far away. Since pee training for chins is really more a situation of putting the pan where they want to pee, not really training like with a cat, peeing outside the pan mostly often just means they don't feel like peeing in the pan. It could be he is claiming the couch though, if when let out that is the first thing he runs off to do.

At under 6 months he really shouldn't be having much out of cage time anyway, like 5-10 minutes. Young chins can't control their temp very well and can over heat quickly if they over do it. They also can't regulate their blood sugar as well, and if they over do it can have a dangerous drop in blood sugar that can cause seizures, coma, and death.

 

[Vassia]

Thank you very much for your response. I did not know all these. Very useful information!
In fact, it is hard to get a big enough cage (because of the lockdown) so we let him out most time of the day and he has chosen a place outside his cage as a toilet where we put a toilet tray. We are waiting for a new cage soon, very big where he could do things during the day and maybe find another spot. Till then I guess I'll have to watch him closely.

 

[Pepperpot]

I also would recommend that you do not let a chinchilla of this age roam around for most of the day out of his cage.

 

[Vassia]

I also would recommend that you do not let a chinchilla of this age roam around for most of the day out of his cage.

I am trying to get a larger cage as soon as possible so I can let him locked more! I hope he'll be ok till then!
Thank you very much!